DoorDash Revolution and James Beard Nominations
23 Min Read By MRM Staff
This edition of MRM’s Daily Bite features Restaurant Revolution Technologies, Inc. and DoorDash, Toast and B.GOOD, Fundbox, Juice It Up!, Healthy Fats Coalition, E la Carte, Inc., ezCater, ShiftPixy, World’s Best Cookie Dough and the James Beard Foundation.
Send news items to Barbara Castiglia at bcastiglia@modernrestaurantmanagement.com.
Revolution Teams with DoorDash
Restaurant Revolution Technologies, Inc. (Revolution) is partnering with DoorDash to help streamline online ordering for participating restaurants. The Order One software from Revolution is an off-premise omni-channel ordering platform that captures and submits all customer takeout and delivery orders placed by phone, website, mobile or chat. Order One integrates into multiple point of sale (POS) systems, meaning once the order is submitted, it is incorporated directly into the restaurant’s POS and operational system for optimal efficiency. Order One also captures all customer information and customer order history so that customers can easily re-order and restaurants can keep in touch with their customers.
Once an order is ready for delivery, the Order One platform notifies DoorDash’s innovative catering and fulfillment service, DoorDash Drive, through its API integration. A DoorDash Drive driver, called a “Dasher,” picks up the order from the restaurant and couriers it directly to the customer. From the customer’s perspective, the experience feels like the order was placed directly with the restaurant and delivered by the restaurant versus two third-party services.
“For many restaurants, the delivery market is either untapped or a phenomenal growth area that comes with operational hurdles,” said Revolution CEO Brad Duea. “Current out-of-house delivery options require additional tablets and dedicated team members to accept delivery orders and re-enter them into the restaurant’s POS system. With our integration with Drive, our restaurant partners will be able to streamline the entire delivery process with Order One sending delivery orders direct to their POS without the need to transfer orders from tablets, resulting in an efficient and premium experience. Order One will also capture customer order history so customers can simply and easily reorder from any channel.”
Through Order One, customers can not only place their order via the restaurant’s website, they can also call in their delivery order and speak with a live agent. These agents are trained as brand ambassadors to be well-versed with the restaurant’s brand, know the menu inside and out, and provide quality customer service. With Revolution’s unified phone, mobile and online ordering platform and related services, such as data capture, live phone support and real-time order monitoring and issue resolution, no other company in the space provides a similar solution.
“DoorDash is thrilled to continue expanding our capabilities, enabling our merchants and customers to experience the most efficient delivery,” said Toby Espinosa, Head of Business Development at DoorDash. “The partnership with Revolution’s Order One will allow us to onboard new restaurants through the year and we look forward to what we can achieve together.”
Toast’s B.Good Partnership
Toast is teaming with B.GOOD for all 50+ B.GOOD North America locations.
“Data quality was the primary reason we started looking for a new POS system; our former provider didn’t offer the kind of data access needed to grow with our business,” said Austin Brinson, B.GOOD’s vice president of analytics. “There were a lot of options in the market, but very few that were aligned with our focus on data and integrations. Toast was different. Toast allows us to take our reporting a couple levels deeper – transforming the data into actionable insights.”
B.GOOD was founded in 2003 in Boston by best friends Jon Olinto and Anthony Ackil who were on a mission to make great, wholesome food the way their family made for them growing up. B.GOOD was founded on the belief that food can be the roots that connect a community of people who grow, prepare and eat it.
“In our Toast Restaurant Technology in 2017 industry report, we found inexpensive solutions like white-label ordering apps create repeat visitors through loyalty integration, yet only 22 percent of restaurants offer this option,” said Aman Narang, president and co-founder of Toast. “This is clearly not the case with B.GOOD, which leverages the Toast API for loyalty to connect directly with customers, drive repeat business, and gain insights into consumer preferences. We’re proud to partner with a group like B.GOOD that is not only mission-driven, but data-driven too.”
Toast Restaurant POS offers advanced functionality to manage the day-to-day operations of the restaurant, including quick menu modifications, real-time enterprise reporting and labor management on an easy-to-use interface. The platform also features revenue-driving tools including physical and digital gift cards, loyalty programs and online ordering.
Fundbox Pay Launches
Fundbox launched Fundbox Pay, a new payment and credit solution servicing the $4.5 trillion small business-to-business (SMB2B) transactional market in the U.S.
Fundbox Pay provides a two-sided solution so that businesses no longer have to extend each other credit and wait on payments. With this product, buyers can make purchases with Fundbox Credit™ and sellers get paid right away less a processing fee. Moreover, buyers get 60 days with no interest on their purchases and can choose to extend their terms for a fee. Fundbox Pay builds on the company’s fundamentally unique approach to small business underwriting after five years of AI investments. Fundbox’s approach dismantles traditional credit barriers like FICO requirements and manual underwriting costs, finally empowering small businesses to break free from cash-flow gaps and seize growth opportunities.
“Fundbox Pay was designed to be the infrastructure for an already-existing economy that’s been sorely underserved,” said Prashant Fuloria, Chief Operations Officer at Fundbox. “Millions of small business provide free capital to other businesses on a daily basis. And yet no one has developed a credit and payment network that delivers the same radical convenience, flexibility, immediacy and overall value that consumer-facing SMBs have the benefit of using – until now. Our goal with Fundbox Pay is to become the point-of-sale platform for this SMB2B market and to make business transactions as simple as buying a cup of coffee.”
“Small businesses serving other businesses–from small to large–have wanted the option to have their own credit/payment solution for some time now. This is a massive market opportunity, and it’s surprising that no one has brought this sort of solution to market until now,” said Laurie McCabe, Cofounder & Partner, SMB Group. “With their new Pay network, Fundbox has a perfect opportunity to become the POS for SMB2B transactions by filling a need that traditional or alternative lenders have yet to resolve.”
“The Fundbox Pay solution creates opportunity for businesses like ours,” said Lisa Fiore, Founder and CEO of LandscapeHub. “The Pay network allows us to provide more attractive terms to customers who don’t have immediate access to credit.”
Braun in at Juice It Up!
Juice It Up!, was acquired by SJB Brands, LLC. and appointed Chris Braun as company CEO. Purchased from longtime owner and former CEO, Frank Easterbrook, SJB Brands was formed as a partnership between California-based private investment firms, Dover Shores Capital, LLC, led by Braun, Britt Private Capital, LLC, and Jupiter Holdings, LLC.
After over two decades of leadership at Juice It Up!, Easterbrook has passed the baton but remains committed to the brand as a franchisee. The partners of SJB Brands, LLC, possess over 30 years of experience in the franchise space while sharing a passion for healthy living and the vision of growth for Juice It Up!
“We are grateful for the incredible leadership and support that Frank Easterbrook provided to the Juice It Up! brand and franchisees for over 20 years,” said Braun. “We are excited to begin this journey and build upon the legacy that Frank, the management team and dedicated franchise partners have created, cementing Juice It Up! as a major player in the growing smoothie, raw juice, and bowl market.”
Juice It Up! currently has 100 locations open and in development across California, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Florida. Under the new ownership, the brand will continue to enhance its core offerings of hand-crafted smoothies, fresh raw juices and superfruit bowls. In addition to focusing on product innovation and a customer-centric strategy, growth in prime markets while sourcing high quality site locations and franchisees are key initiatives.
Braun continued, “We’re going to continue to add value to an already established and beloved brand, as well as take a proactive role in the company’s growth. It is our principal objective to pursue initiatives that are designed around innovation, growing average store sales, and expanding our franchise base to continue to build on the success of the brand.”
National Healthy Fats Day
Under the auspices of the Healthy Fats Coalition and coinciding with the arrival of spring, March 21 will mark the first annual National Healthy Fats Day, a celebration of traditional healthy animal fats – pure lard, beef tallow, duck fat, goose fat and the like – that are now enjoying a resurgence within America’s food culture, in restaurants, fast food operations and home kitchens.
National Healthy Fats Day is the brainchild of the HFC, a group of like-minded organizations, companies and individuals that have developed a new educational initiative dedicated to the proposition that healthy fats aren’t merely having a moment – they’re here to stay, as an essential part of the American diet. Its mission is simple: affirm that animal fats deserve a central place in the American diet and in the popular imagination.
For the HFC, National Healthy Fats Day is just the beginning. The Coalition is also promoting National Beef Tallow Day, set for July 13 (and coinciding with National French Fry Day), and National Lard Day, December 8, one day ahead of National Pastry Day, Dec. 9. The HFC’s message for each day: mark the occasion by tasting the difference yourself.
“Fat is the soul of flavor,” wrote Nina Teicholz in her groundbreaking book, Big Fat Surprise (Simon & Schuster, 2014). “Food is tasteless and cooking nearly impossible without fat. Fat is essential in the kitchen to produce crispness and to thicken sauces. It is crucial in conveying flavors. It makes baked goods flaky, moist, and light. And fat has many other essential functions in cooking and baking.”
“We wholeheartedly agree with Nina — healthy animal fats are on trend for flavor, wellness and sustainability,” said Ernest Miller, Corporate Chef for Coast Packing Company, a founding member of the HFC. “Artificial trans fats are out, and minimally processed animal fats — for superior baking, frying and a host of other cooking applications – are making a comeback. The color, texture and flavor that healthy animal fats impart make them a vastly superior alternative to heavily processed, industrially produced substitutes. More and more consumers are seeking out food that is made with integrity and respect for culinary traditions. Natural, healthy animal fats are a big part of authenticity in cooking.”
PrestoPrime at Applebee’s
E la Carte, Inc.,will deploy its latest-generation PrestoPrime EMV tabletop terminals, top photo, across Applebee’s restaurants in the U.S. A leader in technology innovation, Applebee’s first began providing the Presto tablets in 2014 and will be continuing to provide them for multiple years, in order to give casual-dining guests more control over their dining experiences, increase operational efficiencies and more accurately track guest feedback. With this latest deployment, Applebee’s will continue to exclusively offer the newest and most innovative guest tablet technology with the PrestoPrime EMV tablet.
PrestoPrime’s unique guest feedback capabilities enable nearly real-time data capture that helps restaurants improve the guest experience and drive operational efficiencies. The new terminal also supports all of the latest EMV and mobile payment technologies, including Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, Chip-and-PIN, Chip-and-Signature, PIN-Debit and mobile payments. It has best-in-class payment security with full end-to-end hardware encryption and PTS certified PIN capture.
“Applebee’s has been pioneering new digital experiences for years. With our next generation PrestoPrime tablets, the restaurants will be able to offer guests and operators the latest in tabletop entertainment, security, tablet functionality and data capture,” said Rajat Suri, Founder and CEO of E la Carte. “Restaurant brands will only succeed if they stay ahead of the rapidly evolving expectations of today’s tech-centric consumer, and our PrestoPrime tablets help them do that.”
Rand Joins ezCater
Jim Rand, a longtime restaurant industry executive who built the catering business at Panera Bread and P.F. Chang’s, has joined ezCater as Catering Practice Leader. In this new role, Rand will apply his decades of experience in building and scaling catering operations to help ezCater’s partners grow their off-premises business.
With more than 40 years of restaurant experience, Rand focused much of his career on building successful off-premises operations. As Vice President of Catering at Panera Bread for nearly a decade, Rand built the company’s catering business and grew catering revenue from 2 percent to nearly 10 percent of individual store sales. Prior to this executive role, Rand developed more than two dozen Panera franchise locations where he created the successful catering model that he later introduced company-wide.
Earlier in his career, Rand held executive roles at Metromedia Restaurant Group, working with Bonanza and Ponderosa Steakhouses, and held various roles at Au Bon Pain. Most recently, Rand was Vice President of Off-Premises Dining at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, where he built a catering program that doubled the channel’s sales growth in just 18 months.
“I love talking about catering and helping operators succeed, which is why ezCater is the perfect place for me. Catering has been an important piece of the organizations where I’ve worked in the past, and I’m so excited to join ezCater where it’s the only focus,” said Rand. “The industry is changing drastically and I believe ezCater is the new model for success. I’m eager to help ezCater’s restaurant partners seize the opportunity that catering represents for them.”
Off-premises dining has been a bright spot in a restaurant industry faced with flat or shrinking revenues. Business catering in particular has grown by nearly 40 percent in the past four years to become a $22 billion market, according to data from the foodservice research firm Technomic. As the only nationwide marketplace for business catering, ezCater has helped restaurants serve over 36 million businesspeople in every corner of the country and is in a unique position to help its partners quickly tap into this growing market.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Jim to our team,” said Victoria Brady, ezCater’s VP of Caterer Partnerships. “He brings unmatched industry experience to ezCater, plus he’s innately kind and helpful so he’s a natural fit. Adding Jim to the team will ensure that we provide the very best solutions to help our restaurant partners grow their catering businesses.”
ShiftPixy’s New Driver Management Layer
ShiftPixy is introducing a highly disruptive proposition for the Company’s fast food and fast casual restaurant operator clients. The new driver management layer for operators in the ShiftPixy ecosystem will now allow ShiftPixy clients to use their own team members to self-deliver a brand intended customer experience. ShiftPixy has taken the compliance, management and insurance issues related to the support of a delivery option and created a turn key self-delivery opportunity. “This changes the game in a big way”, Scott W. Absher, ShiftPixy’s Co-Founder and CEO stated that “we listened to the stories our operator clients told us and saw we could leverage our ecosystem and the way we served them to make it simple for our clients to take on the growth opportunity that self-delivery represents for their business”.World’s Best Cookie Dough is now open at 164 Bleecker Street in New York City, and is the largest edible cookie dough and dessert shop in the US, housing incredibly smooth and sumptuous flavors, dough varieties and a year round service.
Scott Absher ShiftPixy’s Co-Founder and CEO stated that “Delivery is the fastest growing wave in the fast food and fast casual dominated by GrubHub, UberEats, DoorDash. They have created a wave we are calling the convenience economy. We see that none of the large fast food and fast casual brands could have predicted the delivery demand wave, but they should not have been surprised by the damage to their brand and their customer experience from surrendering their completed customer connection to a stranger”. One ShiftPixy client in Southern California who uses third-party delivery providers explained that “happy customers say nothing, but angry customers tell everyone, we don’t find out until it’s too late that there was a problem and then we have lost a customer.”
A Lot of Edible Dough
World’s Best Cookie Dough is now open at 164 Bleecker Street in New York City, and is the largest edible cookie dough and dessert shop in the U.S.
The online store menu features 20 flavors and 50 varieties.Cookie dough isn’t meant to be eaten raw, but World’s Best Cookie Dough sells only edible, vegetarian dough. The brand also offers other specialty desserts such as the ookie dough cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake, and Crazy Freakshakes.
At World’s Best Cookie Dough, one can buy cookie dough in multi-packs of four, six or twelve combo packs, with flavors available in 4oz, 6oz and 8oz sizes. All ingredients are made in the same facility with pasteurized eggs and heat treated flour, and may contain wheat, peanuts, nuts, milk and soy.
JBF Nominees
The James Beard Foundation is proud to announce the nominees for the 2018 James Beard Foundation Awards. The nominees were announced today during a breakfast at Parc by Stephen Starr in Philadelphia, co-hosted by Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation; and Meryl Levitz, president and CEO of VISIT PHILADELPHIA®.
Levitz, along with James Beard Award winner Stephen Starr, represented Philadelphia at the event, speaking on behalf of the city and announcing nominees in several categories. Additionally, David Whitaker, president and CEO of Choose Chicago, made key remarks. James Beard Foundation executive vice president Mitchell Davis and Anne Quatrano, James Beard Award winner and chair of the restaurant and chef committee, announced several categories of nominees alongside Foundation CEO Reichenbach. The event was streamed live on Twitter. William Quinn, executive chef of Parc, prepared breakfast for the event guests, including Poached Eggs with Piperade and French Feta; Herb-Encrusted Cold-Poached Beef Filet with Watercress-Mint Salad and Horseradish Cream; and Hazelnut Financiers and Miniature Coffee Cakes.
Nominees were announced in nearly 60 categories of the Foundation’s various awards programs, including Restaurant and Chef, Restaurant Design, Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, and Media.
Winners of the 2018 James Beard Media Awards will be announced at an exclusive event honoring the nation’s top cookbook authors, culinary broadcast producers and hosts, and food journalists at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Friday, April 27. Winners of the remaining awards will be announced at the James Beard Awards Gala at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 7, 2018. During the event, which is open to the public, awards for the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories will be handed out, along with special achievement awards Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Design Icon, Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, and America’s Classics. A gala reception will immediately follow, featuring top chefs and beverage professionals from across the country.
2018 James Beard Foundation Awards Nominees
2018 James Beard Foundation Book Awards
For books published in English in 2017. Winners will be announced on April 27.
The winner of the Book of the Year Award and the Cookbook Hall of Fame inductee will be announced on April 27.
American
Homegrown: Cooking from My New England Roots
Matt Jennings
(Artisan Books)
The Lost Kitchen
Erin French
(Clarkson Potter)
The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen
Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley
(University of Minnesota Press)
Baking and Desserts
BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts
Stella Parks
(W. W. Norton & Company)
Sweet
Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh
(Ten Speed Press)
The Sweet Spot: Dialing Back Sugar and Amping Up Flavor
Bill Yosses and Peter Kaminsky
(Pam Krauss Books)
Beverage
3-Ingredient Cocktails
Robert Simonson
(Ten Speed Press)
Meehan’s Bartender Manual
Jim Meehan
(Ten Speed Press)
Mezcal: The History, Craft & Cocktails of the World’s Ultimate Artisanal Spirit
Emma Janzen
(Voyageur Press)
General
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street: The New Home Cooking
Christopher Kimball
(Little, Brown and Company)
Dinner: Changing the Game
Melissa Clark
(Clarkson Potter)
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
Samin Nosrat
(Simon and Schuster)
Health and Special Diets
The Beauty Chef
Carla Oates
(Hardie Grant Books)
Deepa’s Secrets
Deepa Thomas
(Skyhorse)
Eat Right
Nick Barnard
(Kyle Books)
International
Nopalito
Gonzalo Guzman and Stacy Adimando
(Ten Speed Press)
Paladares
Anya von Bremzen and Megan Fawn Schlow
(Abrams)
The Palestinian Table
Reem Kassis
(Phaidon)
Photography
Cook Beautiful
Johnny Miller
(Abrams)
Simple Fare: Spring and Summer
Karen Mordechai
(Abrams)
Sweet
Peden + Munk
(Ten Speed Press)
Reference, History, and Scholarship
Champagne
Peter Liem
(Ten Speed Press)
The Culinarians: Lives and Careers from the First Age of American Fine Dining
David S. Shields
(University of Chicago Press)
Peppers of the Americas
Maricel E. Presilla
Lorena Jones Books
Restaurant and Professional
Modernist Bread
Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya
(The Cooking Lab)
On Vegetables: Modern Recipes for the Home Kitchen
Jeremy Fox and Noah Galuten
(Phaidon)
State Bird Provisions
Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski
(Ten Speed Press)
Single Subject
Mastering Stocks and Broths
Rachael S. Mamane
(Chelsea Green Publishing)
Offal Good
Chris Cosentino
(Clarkson Potter)
The Pho Cookbook
Andrea Nguyen
(Ten Speed Press)
Vegetable-Focused Cooking
The Book of Greens
Jenn Louis
(Ten Speed Press)
In My Kitchen
Deborah Madison
(Ten Speed Press)
Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables
Joshua McFadden with Martha Holmberg
(Artisan Books)
Writing
The Cooking Gene
Michael W. Twitty
(Amistad)
The Taste of Empire: How Britain’s Quest for Food Shaped the Modern World
Lizzie Collingham
(Basic Books)
Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert’s Renegade Life
Emily Kaiser Thelin
(Grand Central Life & Style)
2018 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Awards
For radio, television broadcasts, podcasts, webcasts, and documentaries appearing in 2017. Winners will be announced on April 27, 2018.
Documentary
Barbecue
Director: Matthew Salleh
Producers: Daniel Joyce and Rose Tucker
Airs on: Netflix
Blind Sushi
Director: Eric Heimbold
Producers: Eric Heimbold and Laura Heimbold
Appeared at: Multiple film festivals in 2017
Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent
Director: Lydia Tenaglia
Producers: Anthony Bourdain, Christopher Collins, and Joe Caterini
Airs on: CNN, Netflix, and iTunes
Outstanding Personality/Host
Pati Jinich
Pati’s Mexican Table
Airs on: WETA Washington; Distributed Nationally by American Public Television
Ina Garten
Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro
Airs on: Food Network
Vivian Howard
A Chef’s Life
Airs on: PBS
Podcast
The Sporkful
Host: Dan Pashman
Producers: Dan Pashman, Anne Noyes Saini, and Dan Charles
Airs on: Stitcher, iTunes
Why We Eat What We Eat Episode 2: I Eat Everything, Except…
Host: Cathy Erway
Producers: Wendy Dorr, Frances Harlow, and Abbie Ruzicka
Airs on: Whyweeat.show, Gimlet Media, and Apple Podcasts
Your Last Meal (with Rachel Belle)
Host: Rachel Belle
Producers: Aaron Mason and Rachel Belle
Airs on: iTunes, Stitcher, and yourlastmealpodcast.com
Radio Show/Audio Webcast
The Food Chain
Host: Emily Thomas
Producers: Emily Thomas and Simon Tulett
Airs on: BBC World Service
The Legacy of the Mississippi Delta Chinese
Host: Melissa Block
Producer: Elissa Nadworny
Airs on: NPR
The Splendid Table: Every Bite is Precious, Buddhist Cooking in Japan
Host: Abigail Leonard
Producer: Abigail Leonard
Airs on: NPR
Special (on TV or Web)
CBS Sunday Morning – The Food Issue: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
Host: Jane Pauley
Producers: Rand Morrison, Amy Rosner, and Amol Mhatre
Airs on: CBS
Family Meal: NYC
Producers: Alice Xue Yu, Lilit Marcus, and Molly Shiels
Airs on: CNN
Lidia Celebrates America: Homegrown Heroes
Host: Lidia Bastianich
Producer: Laurie Donnelly
Airs on: PBS
Television Program, in Studio or Fixed Location
Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro
Host: Ina Garten
Producers: Rachel Purnell, Olivia Ball, and Bridget Lumley
Airs on: Food Network
The Bobby and Damaris Show
Hosts: Bobby Flay and Damaris Phillips
Producers: Bobby Flay, Kim Martin, and Kirsty Nordal
Airs on: Food Network
The Latin Kitchen
Hosts: Luis Valenzuela, Juan Pablo Gonzalez, and Luis “Tigretón” Leon
Producer: Chris Knight
Airs on: Gusto
Television Program, on Location
Chef’s Table: Jeong Kwan
Producers: David Gelb, Brian McGinn, and Andrew Fried
Airs on: Netflix
The Food Flirts with the Brass Sisters
Hosts: Marilyn Brass and Sheila Brass
Producers: Bruce Seidel and Denise Swidey
Airs on: PBS
The Migrant Kitchen
Producers: Juan Devis, Antonio Diaz, and Stef Ferrari
Airs on: KCET and Link TV
Television Segment
ABC 7 News – The Hungry Hound
Host: Steve Dolinsky
Producer: Steve Dolinsky
Airs on: ABC 7 Chicago and abc7chicago.com
PBS NewsHour
Reporters: Allison Aubrey and Paul Solman
Producer: Mary Beth Durkin
Airs on: PBS
Verify
Host: David Schechter
Producer: Chance Horner
Airs on: WFAA-TV Dallas and stations owned by TEGNA Media
Video Webcast, Fixed Location and/or Instructional
Andrew in the Kitchen
Host: Andrew Zimmern
Producers: Patrick Weiland and Andrew Zimmern
Airs on: travelchannel.com
The Breath of a Wok
Host: Grace Young
Producer: Grace Young
Airs on: graceyoung.com and YouTube
Panna Cooking: Black Bean-Glazed Salmon with Ginger Cabbage
Host: Vivian Howard
Producers: Amy Currie and Stephanie Roush
Airs on: pannacooking.com
Video Webcast, on Location
Food Grails
Host: Miss Info
Director: Justin Bolois
Producer: Justin Bolois
Airs on: First We Feast YouTube Channel
From the Wild – Season 3
Director: Kevin Kossowan
Producer: Kevin Kossowan
Airs on: Vimeo On Demand
Working 24 Hours at…
Host: Andrew Knowlton
Director: Vincent Cross
Producer: Matt Duckor
Airs on: YouTube and Bon Appétit Video
Visual and Technical Excellence
Barbecue
Director: Matthew Salleh
Photographer: Matthew Salleh
Editors: Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker
Airs on: Netflix
The Birth of Bread
Director, Photographer, Editor: Matthew Pendergast
Airs on: Vimeo
Food Talkies
Director, Photographer, Editor: Andrew Gooi
Airs on: foodtalkies.com
2018 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards
For articles published in English in 2017. Winners will be announced on April 27, 2018.
Publication of the Year will be decided by the members of the James Beard Awards Journalism Committee and will be announced at the awards ceremony.
Columns
“The Eton Mess Is Beautiful, Chaotic, British”; “Hot Night, Cold Soup”; and “Bread Soup from the Lost Years”
Scott Hocker
Taste
Missed Cues: “Get Help”; “Distilled Identity”; and “Destination, Small Town”
Osayi Endolyn
Gravy
What She’s Having: “Nostalgia in a Bowl”; “I Was a Chick-fil-A Virgin”; and “A Time Capsule, with Chicken Pot Pies”
Devra First
The Boston Globe
Dining and Travel
“The Eating Season”
Tyler Kord
Bon Appétit
“Off the Eaten Path: The Best Anti-Restaurants in America”
The Editors of GQ
GQ
“In Pursuit of Perfect Hummus”
J.M. Hirsch
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine
Feature Reporting
“A Day in the Life of a Food Vendor”
Tejal Rao
The New York Times
“Dishwashers”
Tom Sietsema
The Washington Post
“The NBA’s Secret Addiction”
Baxter Holmes
ESPN The Magazine
Food and Health
“Egg Mogul Jack DeCoster Sickened 56,000 People. He’ll Spend Just Three Months in Prison”
Joe Fassler
The New Food Economy
“The Great Nutrient Collapse”
Helena Bottemiller Evich
Politico
“What Healthy Means Now”
Hunter Lewis
Cooking Light
Food Section
New York Magazine
Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite
Roads & Kingdoms
Nathan Thornburgh, Matt Goulding, Cara Parks, and the Roads & Kingdoms Team
San Francisco Chronicle
Paolo Lucchesi and the San Francisco Chronicle Food and Wine Team
Foodways
“Chili at the Fifty”
Matt Diffee
Texas Monthly
“Four Million Pots”
Leslie Pariseau
Saveur
“The Teenage Whaler’s Tale”
Julia O’Malley
High Country News
Home Cooking
“Lost Pies of the South”
Nancie McDermott
Southern Living
“Nuts About Nuts”
Molly McDonough
Culture: The Word on Cheese
“Thanksgiving Lessons”
Adam Rapoport and the Bon Appétit Editorial Team
Bon Appétit
Humor
“Pumpkin Spice Life”
Maura Judkis
The Washington Post
“Trixie Mattel Makes a PB&J (and More Importantly, a Cocktail)”
GQ Video
GQ
“Worst Shift Ever: No Experience Necessary”
Blake Smith and Derek Salvatore
ChefsFeed on Facebook
Innovative Storytelling
“America’s Most Authentic Dive Bars”
Tim Carman, Fritz Hahn, and Shelly Tan
The Washington Post
“Going Viral”
Vince Dixon, Ellie Kirn, Brittany Holloway-Brown, and Ian Stroud
Eater
“The New Essentials of French Cooking”
Melissa Clark, Emily Weinstein, Barbara deWilde, and Alexandra Eaton
The New York Times
Investigative Reporting
“John Besh Restaurants Fostered Culture of Sexual Harassment, 25 Women Say”
Brett Anderson
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
“Ken Friedman, Power Restaurateur, is Accused of Sexual Harassment”
Julia Moskin and Kim Severson
The New York Times
“ ‘The Only Good Muslim’ ” and “Compromised”
Ted Genoways
The New Republic
Local Impact
“Farm to Chapel”; “They Ditched Vienna Sausages for Porterhouse Steaks and Lobster at West Grove Cookout”; and “How a Secular Jewish Baker Became Miami’s Kosher King”
Carlos Frías
Miami Herald
“What Do Lakewood Residents Think of Their Neighborhood’s Newest High-End Restaurant?”; “ ‘La Comida’ Makes for a Big Family Meal at Mothers & Sons”; and “The Restaurant Industry Depends on Immigrants. What Happens If We Lose Them?”
Victoria Bouloubasis
Indy Week
“You’re Invited to the Spirited Brunch”; “Meet the Kitchen Cabinet”; and “Get It in Writing: Restaurant Industry Grapples with Sexual Harassment”
Hanna Raskin
The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.)
Personal Essay
“Dear Women: Own Your Stories”
Lisa Donovan
Foodandwine.com
“The Meth Lunches: The Care and Feeding of a Drug Addict”
Kim Foster
Nevada Public Radio’s Desert Companion Magazine
“Strip Clubs, Salvation and Sonic Drive-In”
Tiffany Langston
Tiffany Tastes
Profile
“Journeyman”
Patrick Radden Keefe
The New Yorker
“She Was a Soul Food Sensation. Then, 19 Years Ago, She Disappeared.”
Mayukh Sen
Food52
“The Untold Story of the Lady from Louisville and the Bubbe Who Wasn’t There”
Rebecca Flint Marx
Taste
Wine, Spirits, and Other Beverages
“Drink Seltzer, Live Forever”
Liam Baranauskas
Eater
“The Pu-Erh Broker”
Max Falkowitz
Saveur
“A Short History of My Long Drinking Life”
Andrew Knowlton
Bon Appétit
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award
“Bar Normandy”; “Pawpaw”; and “Rappahannock Oyster Bar”
Hanna Raskin
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)
Counter Intelligence: “The World’s Best Restaurant Opens a Pop-Up in Mexico”; “At Vespertine, Jonathan Gold Makes Contact with Otherworldly Cooking”; “Jonathan Gold Finds Delight in the Secretive Santa Monica Restaurant Dialogue”
Jonathan Gold
Los Angeles Times
“The Radical Sandwich Kings of New Orleans”; “America’s Next Great Southern Restaurant Is in the Pacific Northwest”; “At Santa Monica’s Dialogue, Seasonality Meets Surrealism”
Bill Addison
Eater
MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award
“After Oranges: Following John McPhee to Florida”
Wyatt Williams
Oxford American
“Christ in the Garden of Endless Breadsticks”
Helen Rosner
Eater
“Who Owns Uncle Ben?”
Shane Mitchell
The Bitter Southerner
2018 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Design Awards
For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2015. Winners will be announced on May 7, 2018.
75 Seats and Under
Firms: FÖDA Studio, Studio MAI, and Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
Designers: Jett Butler, Tom Ahn, Dale Wallain, and Milo Garcia
Project: Otoko, Austin
Firm: The MP Shift
Designers: Amy Morris, Anna Polonsky, and Julie Nerenberg
Project: De Maria, NYC
Firm: Rockwell Group
Designers: David Rockwell, Greg Keffer, and the Rockwell Group Design Team
Project: Daily Provisions, NYC
76 Seats and Over
Firm: ABC Carpet & Home
Designers: Paulette Cole, Amy Ilias, Maya Nakano, and the ABC Home Creative Team
Project: abcV, NYC
Firms: Aidlin Darling Design with a l m project
Designers: Joshua Aidlin, David Darling, Adam Rouse, and Andrea Lenardin Madden
Project: In Situ, San Francisco
Firms: FÖDA Studio and Shears Adkins Rockmore
Designers: Jett Butler, Stephanie Leung, Katie Cavallo, and Chip Chambers
Project: The Preacher’s Son, Bentonville, AR
Design Icon
The American Restaurant
Kansas City, Missouri
2018 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards
Winners will be announced on May 7, 2018
Best New Restaurant
A restaurant opened in the calendar year before the award will be given that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service, and that is likely to make a significant impact in years to come.
The Charter Oak, St. Helena, CA
Empellón Midtown, NYC
Felix Trattoria, Venice, CA
JuneBaby, Seattle
Kismet, Los Angeles
Outstanding Baker (Presented by Taylor Precision Products)
A chef or baker who prepares breads, pastries, or desserts in a retail bakery, and who serves as a national standard-bearer of excellence. Must have been a baker or pastry chef for at least five years.
Dianna Daoheung, Black Seed Bagels, NYC
Zachary Golper, Bien Cuit, Brooklyn, NY
Maura Kilpatrick, Sofra Bakery and Café, Cambridge, MA
Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, B. Patisserie, San Francisco
Alison Pray, Standard Baking Co., Portland, ME
Greg Wade, Publican Quality Bread, Chicago
Outstanding Bar Program (Presented by Woodford Reserve Bourbon)
A restaurant or bar that demonstrates excellence in cocktail, spirits, and/or beer service.
Anvil Bar & Refuge, Houston
Bar Agricole, San Francisco
Clyde Common, Portland, OR
Cure, New Orleans
Kimball House, Decatur, GA
Trick Dog, San Francisco
Outstanding Chef (Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters)
A working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Eligible candidates must have been working as a chef for the past five years.
Ashley Christensen, Poole’s Diner, Raleigh, NC
Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune, NYC
David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA
Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans
Outstanding Pastry Chef (Presented by Lavazza)
A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads in a restaurant, and who serves as a national standard bearer of excellence. Must have been a pastry chef or baker for the past five years.
Kelly Fields, Willa Jean, New Orleans
Meg Galus, Boka, Chicago
Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles
Dolester Miles, Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL
Diane Yang, Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis
Outstanding Restaurant (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water)
A restaurant in the United States that serves as a national standard bearer of consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere, and service. Eligible restaurants must have been in operation 10 or more consecutive years.
Balthazar, NYC
Canlis, Seattle
Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO
Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL
Quince, San Francisco
Outstanding Restaurateur
A working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Candidates must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past five years.
Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz, Boka Restaurant Group, Chicago (Boka, GT Fish & Oyster, Girl & the Goat, and others)
JoAnn Clevenger, Upperline, New Orleans
Ken Oringer, Boston (Uni, Little Donkey, Toro, and others)
Caroline Styne, The Lucques Group, Los Angeles (Lucques, a.o.c., Tavern, and others)
Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group, Philadelphia (Fork, High Street on Market, High Street on Hudson, and others)
Outstanding Service
A restaurant in operation five or more years that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service.
Boka, Chicago
Saison, San Francisco
Zahav, Philadelphia
Zingerman’s Delicatessen, Ann Arbor, MI
Zuni Café, San Francisco
Outstanding Wine Program (Presented by Robert Mondavi Winery)
A restaurant in operation five or more years that serves as a standard bearer for excellence in wine service through a well-presented wine list, knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about wine.
a.o.c., Los Angeles
Bacchanal, New Orleans
Benu, San Francisco
FIG, Charleston, SC
The Little Nell, Aspen, CO
Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional
A beer, wine, or spirits professional who has made a significant national impact on the restaurant industry.
Cathy Corison, Corison Winery, St. Helena, CA
Diane Flynt, Foggy Ridge Cider, Dugspur, VA
Miljenko Grgich, Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford, CA
Steve Matthiasson, Matthiasson Wines, Napa, CA
Lance Winters, St. George Spirits, Alameda, CA
Rising Star Chef of the Year (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water)
A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to make a significant impact on the industry in years to come.
Camille Cogswell, Zahav, Philadelphia
Clare de Boer, King, NYC
Sarah Rinkavage, Marisol, Chicago
Miles Thompson, Michael’s, Santa Monica, CA
Kevin Tien, Himitsu, Washington, D.C.
Best Chefs
Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Eligible candidates may be from any kind of dining establishment and must have been working as a chef for at least five years with the three most recent years spent in the region.
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Andrew Brochu, Roister, Chicago
Abraham Conlon, Fat Rice, Chicago
Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark, Parachute, Chicago
David Posey and Anna Posey, Elske, Chicago
Lee Wolen, Boka, Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Amy Brandwein, Centrolina, Washington, D.C.
Tom Cunanan, Bad Saint, Washington, D.C.
Rich Landau, Vedge, Philadelphia
Jeremiah Langhorne, The Dabney, Washington, D.C.
Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Karen Bell, Bavette La Boucherie, Milwaukee
Steven Brown, Tilia, Minneapolis
Justin Carlisle, Ardent, Milwaukee
Gavin Kaysen, Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis
Ann Kim, Young Joni, Minneapolis
Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)
Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy
Ignacio Mattos, Estela
Missy Robbins, Lilia, Brooklyn, NY
Alex Stupak, Empellón Midtown
Jody Williams, Buvette Gastrothèque
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, MH, NY STATE, RI, VT)
Karen Akunowicz, Myers + Chang, Boston
Tiffani Faison, Tiger Mama, Boston
Tony Messina, Uni, Boston
Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA
Benjamin Sukle, Oberlin, Providence
Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Edouardo Jordan, Salare, Seattle
Katy Millard, Coquine, Portland, OR
Bonnie Morales, Kachka, Portland, OR
Justin Woodward, Castagna, Portland, OR
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
Vishwesh Bhatt, Snackbar, Oxford, MS
Nina Compton, Compère Lapin, New Orleans
Jose Enrique, Jose Enrique, San Juan, PR
Kristen Essig and Michael Stoltzfus, Coquette, New Orleans
Brad Kilgore, Alter, Miami
Slade Rushing, Brennan’s, New Orleans
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Mashama Bailey, The Grey, Savannah, GA
Katie Button, Nightbell, Asheville, NC
Cassidee Dabney, The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
Rodney Scott, Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Charleston, SC
Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT)
Michael Fojtasek, Olamaie, Austin
Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin
Steve McHugh, Cured, San Antonio
Martín Rios, Restaurant Martín, Santa Fe
Alex Seidel, Mercantile Dining & Provision, Denver
Best Chef: West (CA, HI, NV)
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Dominique Crenn, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
Jeremy Fox, Rustic Canyon, Santa Monica, CA
Jessica Koslow, Sqirl, Los Angeles
Travis Lett, Gjelina, Venice, CA
2018 James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees
These recipients and the following honorees will accept their awards at the James Beard Awards Gala on May 7 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Jody Adams
Chef/Owner, TRADE, Porto, and Saloniki
Boston
Lally Brennan and Ti Adelaide Martin
Co-Proprietors, Commander’s Palace
New Orleans
Allison Hooper
Co-Founder/Owner, Vermont Creamery
Websterville, VT
Daniel Johnnes
Wine Director, The Dinex Group
New York City, NY
2018 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics
Sun Wah
Chicago, IL
Owners: Kelly Cheng, Laura Cheng and Michael Cheng
Galleria Umberto
Boston, MA
Owners: Paul Deuterio and Ralph Deuterio
Los Hernandez
Union Gap, WA
Owner: Felipe Hernandez
El Guero Canelo
Tucson, AZ
Owner: Daniel Contreras
Dong Phuong Bakery
New Orleans, LA
Owner: Linh Tran Garza
2018 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
José Andrés
Multiple James Beard Award–Winning Chef; Owner, ThinkFoodGroup; Founder, World Central Kitchen
2018 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
Paula Wolfert
Multiple James Beard Award–Winning Author